Thursday, 13 March 2014

Black Cat project on ITV news

At the end of January this year I posted about Sarah Harmon's Black Cat project. Sarah is based in Presteigne in Powys, and has linked up with the Fixers Project - which supports young people aged 16-25 to tackle any issue that matters to them, however they choose.
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Sarah has written regularly on the TOWIP (The Only Website in Powys) website, written by and for young people in Powys, about her experiences. Yesterday's headline post was about Sarah launching her new project and her television debut:

"From the age of 16 Sarah suffered from an eating disorder and she also self-harmed.

Now on the road to recovery, Sarah has a positive outlook and is ready to raise awareness and support others who might be suffering from mental health issues themselves.

With support from Fixers, she is running workshops aimed at 16 to 25 year-olds in Mid Wales to try to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health. She wants to encourage young people to talk about mental health issues and to discuss coping strategies."

"When I was 16, I started experiencing mental health problems. It’s hard to describe just how low these conditions can make you feel and how difficult everyday life can become.

It’s improved a lot for me over the years, but I realise it’s a long road ahead.

Drawing on my own experiences, I aim to tackle the misconceptions surrounding mental health issues, so there is greater understanding and fewer barriers for young people to seek help.

By raising awareness, I hope people will become less judgmental about such conditions."

I've really enjoyed reading Sarah's fictional story as Black Star/Cara on the TOWIP website over the past few months, and it's great to see she has achieved her goal of setting up a mental health project for young people in Mid Wales.

Here at Powys Mental Health we wish Sarah all the best for the Black Cat project in the future!